Federal Agents Using PS3s to Catch Sexual Predators

To Catch a Predator — With a PS3

Forget fancy expensive computers — Federal Agents have a new tool in the fight against child pornography — the Sony PlayStation 3. Turns out, when several PS3s are networked together, their processing component is perfect for cracking computer passwords, which are protected under the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution. So investigators can seize a suspect's computer, but they have to crack the passwords on their own.

The gaming consoles work well because of their computing power; producing detailed gaming graphics requires a lot of power. The PS3 is particularly well suited because it allows you to install Linux, an open-source operating system.

One funny catch: you can't install a new OS on the new PS3 Slim, released in September — it requires an older model. The solution? They're buying old PS3s off eBay!